The Importance of the Zack Snyder Justice League Director’s Cut
For the fans, Zack Snyder, Henry Cavill, Warner Bros, and the continuation of DCEU
— mild spoilers for Justice League included
I believe I am not speaking for myself alone when I say I am an avid supporter and defender of Warner Bros’ DCEU efforts. I belong in a category where I liked the new, darker take on Superman in Man of Steel, eventually loved Batman v Superman for its different approach to the superhero genre, disliked Suicide Squad but ended up watching it three times anyway, and blown away by the awesome Wonder Woman. I acknowledged their flaws, but also came to appreciate the efforts and the final results. However, after Justice League, I’m not entirely sure how to proceed.
Justice League has the characters we love played by actors born to play them (even Cyborg who I disliked from the comics). They are portrayed nicely with the materials presented. Sadly, WB decided to play god and ordered massive reshoots with a director who’s the total opposite of Zack Snyder that somehow ruined the experience. To add salt to the wound, they forced the film to be a two-hour affair. In my opinion (you are entitled to your own), it was an embarrassing end product and a painful one to watch. By Hollywood standards, it felt like it was just completed days before the premiere. And I believe that’s not how you want your biggest tentpole to be perceived.
It is as feared, rushing DCEU has destroyed DCEU. I have always thought that DC excels in standalone films. If only they took more time in introducing these characters to the audience, DCEU could’ve surpassed MCU’s dominance and in the process, also making BvS a better film without burdening it with the enormous task of world-building.
Zack Snyder was one of the directors that Warner Bros practically gave free reign alongside Christopher Nolan. This is evident as Snyder could get his gonzo actioner (one of my favorites) Sucker Punch made and Nolan made Inception in the same year. So when Nolan appointed Snyder for Man of Steel, WB probably was ecstatic their favorite directors are working together despite Sucker Punch’s reception.
Snyder is Hollywood’s most visual director and his approach to Man of Steel was him playing out of his box: his signature slow-mo sequences are nowhere to be found and it’s presented in a raw, indie-like handheld style. That continues to Batman v Superman but in that film his signature style bleeds over and the result is a striking, different superhero film.
Fast-forward to the unjustifiably harsh reception to Batman v Superman, Zack Snyder’s follow up Justice League was given instructions to make it lighter, optimistic. By doing this, Snyder has been robbed of his strengths. He tried his best and delivered what WB insiders said “improvement.” But it was not enough as WB was looking at the neighbor’s lush, green grass. Therefore, a former neighbor’s gardener was hired. The result was appalling. As critics and audiences found, it was the least Snyder film — and his filmography includes an animated owl film with an in-the-nose Owl City song.
For the fans
Snyder’s Ultimate Cut of Batman v Superman delivered the film as a whole and now we are looking for Snyder’s Ultimate Cut on Justice League. The version with Junkie XL’s score, the version without Cavill’s CGI mug, probably the version where Superman dons the black suit, probably the version where the film does not look ugly in red hues. I turned to Vero (a social app where Snyder is the most active in) and found like-minded people who wants the same thing like I do. The comment page in Snyder’s profile has become an impromptu support group for the dissatisfied folks who’ve seen the team-up film. We all profess our love and support to Snyder and asking if his Director’s Cut is on the cards.
As a fan, who Warner Bros. has featured front and center whenever their film does not play well with critics (see social media posts on King Arthur, Suicide Squad), I feel betrayed. All WB said was that we make Batman v Superman for the fans and they love it. Guess what? I love BvS. So why don’t you make a follow-up to that film that is worthy of BvS? Let’s put it this way: BvS has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 27% with 5/10 rating, but its audience score is 63% with 7/10 rating. If it’s for the fans, on top of continuing to please the 63%, shouldn’t WB try to make a film that can convince the other 37% who are not satisfied with BvS and not trying too hard to convert 73% of the critics into rooting DCEU? It’s for the fans, right? Right?
Watching Justice League, I don’t feel like it was made for the fans. It was a studio-mandated, money-machine blockbuster film instead of a director-driven, sequel superhero film. It was the critics who whined that the film was too dark. Honestly, those critics can just turn on their own light. The fans will always flock to films like this and we’ll support it, especially if it’s well-made. Those $870+ million dollars surely don’t come from the critics, right? And that’s just the number from last year’s 8-minute battle royale.
After tampering with both of DC films last year, I wonder why isn’t WB learning anything?
For Warner Bros
Justice League is one of Warner Bros’ tentpole this year and a film is like a book, like a photograph. It’s a milestone that people in the future can look back to. I am not sure if Warner Bros wants the film to be remembered this way. Here’s a word association game for DCEU. Man of Steel? Superman snapping Zod’s neck. Batman v Superman? MARTHA! Suicide Squad? Harley Quinn. Wonder Woman? No Man’s Land. Justice League? CG upper lip.
The version that we’re promised was the one seen in the first official trailer. With dark blue hues that is more into Snyder’s exceptional artistic qualities (and consistent to the early promotional materials), than the eye-stabbing red we found in the final product. If the argument was ‘the film has not yet finished post-production’, I call that BS. Take a look at this frame below and pick the one you prefer more. For me, the shot on the right is better in a lot of ways. The colors match and isn’t awkward, even they took the process to include Wonder Woman’s shadows.
Currently, Justice League is an embarrassing entry to Warner Bros and DC’s cinematic history. As arguably the most coveted property that the studio owns and the premier superhero team of the brand, it is just baffling that they let it get made in this quality. I believe a Zack Snyder Director’s Cut would be more coherent, comprehensible and neater than the version we’ve seen in theatres (Honestly, the green screen in the reshoot scenes are worse than broadcast TV quality).
The continuation of DCEU lies in Justice League. And by the plans we’ve heard from WB recently, they plan on scrapping DCEU entirely. There’s going to be a slew of unrelated films from the DC brand but not exactly fitting in the DCEU. For me, that’s a real bummer. If we’re not going to have a resolution to the conflict introduced in BvS, it will be very disappointing. Please don’t turn Justice League and Batman v Superman into Amazing Spider-Man 2.
There are also supporters of the film that basically say, “it’s not perfect, but it’s fun.” I tell you right now, never settle for less when you can have more. It’s a destructive trait to keep. That is probably why we’d keep getting passable superhero films that aren’t great but not necessarily bad either.
For Zack Snyder
His tenure as Justice League director is quite sad. He’s tasked with course correcting after BvS and also assembling a team which most of its team has not yet received a proper welcome. It was a daunting task and it was a task, I personally want to see him succeed. I’m a fan of his films, from the best superhero team film ever filmed, Watchmen to the guilty pleasure asylum fantasy action Sucker Punch.
Snyder stepped down from the role to deal with a family tragedy and what we should’ve done is not to butcher and mutilate his vision for super friends. Many filmmakers say that their films are their babies. Are we that cruel to rob Snyder of his baby? Let’s strict babynapping to the Others on Lost.
Zack Snyder has taken a lot of bad rep for tackling DCEU. I believe he has done more than humanly possibly in taking the task. Any other director tasked with jumpstarting a franchise out of nothing would also fail. Snyder, to his credit, took it with a lot of grace. He tried to make it different. He tried to make it not generic.
With Justice League, WB has made it the same as any other superhero films and made it generic. For Zack Snyder and his gift for exceptional vision, the least we can do is release his cut for Justice League. If us fans are haunted by the version of Justice League that could’ve been after spending two hours watching it, I don’t know what that does to the person that actually spent a year working on it.
— Updated, this is Snyder’s quote:
“I will be honest, I have not seen the film since I stepped away. You know I love these characters. I wish only I could only finish it for you and the others who love MOS, BvS.”
I wish so too, Zack. I hope we could see it.
Lastly, for Henry Cavill
Spoiler alert: 80% of Superman/Clark Kent in JL is plagued with CG lip. Literally from the first shot of the film and the mid-credit scene in the film, you can see how terrible the CG lip is.
Henry Cavill is probably the world’s most handsome man. Perfect jawline, cool face, god-like torso. Practically he’s the real Superman. Did I mention a nice smile too? Cavill’s performance here is rendered badly by a CG that’s obviously rushed and unable to duplicate Cavill’s good looks. That is a dishonor to the actor, his family and to God that sculpted him (if you believe that kind of stuff).
I do want to see JL for the second time just to convince myself it wasn’t that bad. But I am haunted by the CG lip that I still can’t bring myself to the cinemas to buy a ticket. It was downright cringe-worthy. And for you who think that, maybe it’s because I knew they were going to erase the mustache digitally, look no further to a friend of mine who’s oblivious of the fact. She kept asking me during the film, “is this the same guy from before?” “was he in an accident recently?”
Another friend of mine quipped, he looked like he’s in Jimmy Fallon doing that lip-swap game.
So for all that is good in the world, let’s release that Zack Snyder Director’s Cut. Let us fans actually have what we want. Even if it’s as reported, unwatchable, WB can still have the right to tell us ‘I told you so.’ But for now, there are legions of DCEU fans who have nightmare in ugly red hues and visions of weird lip movement following them everytime a person speaks.
We are rooting for DCEU. But we can’t keep doing it if our eyes are burnt by the interference the studio makes everytime we try to support it.
Everybody knows that the Director’s Cut is out there.
